My May Day Human

Spike hadn't seen the little human since that night on the kid's roof. He'd walked by the house once or twice while hunting, but the light was always off and kids needed stuff like a good nights sleep. He froze at that thought, //what do I care if the nibblet gets the right amount o' sleep?// The answer should have been that he didn't care, however, the dead May Day crown he had tucked away in his warehouse spoke differently. It might have had a deep symbolic meaning, the dead flowers, if Spike was one to give meaning to anything. Good thing he wasn't. With an annoyed huff, he took care of feeding and then headed to the kid's block again.

As he approached the house, the blond vampire saw an odd shape out on the roof. He sped up just as it began to move down the shigles. Only vampiric speed let him catch the thing before it managed to hit the ground. "Wot do ya think yer d. . . nibblet?"

The wide, dark eyes stared up at him and a huge smile threatened to take over the boy's face. "Hey! You're back!"

"Ya stupid ponce! Wot were you thinkin' climbin' ou on a roof alone in th' dark o' night?!"

Xander smiled wider and grabbed Spike's hand, "You paint your nails!" He giggled.

The vampire closed his eyes and counted to ten. Then counted backwards for good measure. "No changin' the subject bit, ya could 'ave 'urt yerself."

The boy looked ready to cry and Spike cursed under his breath.

"Oi, don't do that!"

Xander sniffled, "what?"

"That crying thing. Don't do it."

A hiccuping sob came before the next question. "Why?"

"'ll get snot all ovah m' coat."

"Why?"

"Cause you whelps leak all over the place when yer crying."

"Why?"

"Cause. . ." The vampire stopped and glarred at the now giggling child in his arms. "Why ya li'l nonce."

"What's a nonce?"

"ah ah ah, no more questions till ya answer mine. was the deal las' time right?"

Xander frowned but nodded.

"Now, what were ya doin' on the roof?"

"Looking for you." He chirped happily.

Spike blinked and stared at the boy. "Why?"

"Cause I missed you!" He giggled and threw chubby, child sized arms around the startled vampire's neck.

Spike stiffened and looked down the street on all sides quickly, if another demon saw this he'd never live it down! "Oi, bettah take this inside, yeah?"

The little boy nodded and whooped happily as Spike swung him into a one handed grip and began to scale the tree under the kids window. Once they reach the roof, Xander slid inside and waited for Spike. He blinked when the vampire placed his hand flat against the opening like the glass was down and window closed. "Woah."

"Barrier luv, gotta ask me in." He reminded.

Xander studied the hand carefully, looking for a place it dipped in just a bit more to see if it was a trick. Nothing. He poked the hand and his finger touched flesh. "How does it work?"

Spike shrugged and took his hand away, crouching low so his face was even with the opening, "Don' know, jus alway been tha' way."

The boy poked his finger through again and Spike nipped at it playfully, earning more giggles.

"ALEXANDER!!! GO TO BED!"

The kid eeped and shot out, "okayspikecomeinnow." Before dashing under the covers like that would convince his parents he was sleeping.

Spike rolled his eyes and slid inside, peeling back the blanket, "Ya know the' won't wash with the parentals right luv?"

"Huh?"

"Won't work."

"Oh." Taking that to mean he didn't have to hide anymore, Xander flung the covers off of him and climbed onto Spike's lap, "Open your mouth."

"Wot?"

"Do you have fangs?"

Spike rolled his eyes again, wondering why he'd purposly walked into this. "Not in this face."

"You have another face?! Like a mask? Can I see it? Is it real?"

"'s like this." If the vampire had thought his game face would scare this kid he'd been sorely mistaken. Xander looked ready to vibrate right onto the floor.

"Wow! Cool! Can I touch it?"

Spike ran all the different ways he could take that and decided that the kid wouldn't know how to respond to most of them, so he shrugged. "Yeah." Even knowing it was coming, the touch of those little hands was a shock. He hadn't really been expecting the kid to have the nerve to do it. Tiny fingers pressed lightly against his ridges, tracing first his forehead, then his cheeks, then his nose. Hell, the little brat even managed to get into his mouth and touch his fangs. The vampire was basking in the warmth that followed the touches. Without knowing it, he bagan to purr.

"Are you like a kitty?"

"Huh?"

"You purr."

"Oh bloody Hell."

The sound of footsteps down the hall made them both tense and Xander pulled the covers up over his head again while Spike dropped to the floor and rolled under the bed.

The door opened and Spike watched bare legs and feet covered in fuzzy slippers walk toward the bed. "Xander honey, do you know what time it is?"

Spike could hear the blanket rustling, he could almost see the kid peeking with only his eyes out. The image was confirmed when the boy's words were still muffled by the blanket. "Bed time?"

"Cute mister, but not going to work." The woman's voice held laughter in it, as if they'd done this many a night.

"Uh. . . night time?"

"It's two in the morning."

"But I don't have school. It's summer!"

"You are not going nocturnal on me."

"Huh?" the sound wasn't muffled anymore, Kid'd finally come out from under the blanket.

Xander's mother had a smile in her voice when she spoke to him, "Nocturnal is when someone is awake at night and asleep at daytime."

"Like a vampire?!"

"I was thinking an owl, but vampires too I guess. Where did you hear about vampires?"

"Spiderman!" He bounced and Spike flattened himself to the floor to keep his hair from getting caught in the springs.

"You and your comics." She sighed, "Go to sleep okay? I'm still waking you up by nine."

"But it's summer!" Xander whined.

His mom micked his tone, "but you're ten!"

He giggled and Spike could hear him getting tucked in, and a small sound as his mum gave him a good night kiss, "Mom?"

She sighed and flicked the light off, "Quickly Xander."

"I have a monster under my bed."

Spike almost swore out loud.

"Really." Xander's mum obviously didn't beleive him.

"Can I keep him?"

She chuckled, "You aren't scared of him?"

"No, Spike's a good monster."

"Tell you what, you go to sleep right now, and you can keep your monster."

"YES!"

"Shhh." She laughed, "Sleep now."

"G'night." He waited until the door clicked shut then looked over the side of the bed. "I get to keep you." He whispered.

Spike pulled himself out from under it and up into a sitting possition next to the bed. "'m I ta be a kept vamp then?"

"Yep." He giggled.

"Need a collar then don't I." Spike teased.

Xander jumped out of bed and the vampire'd eyes widened. He hadn't been serious!

Those little hands tied something loosly aroud the base of his neck and Spike blink and felt at it curiously. "Macaroni?"

"It's your collar!" Xander giggled happily and climbed back into bed. "I have to sleep now or I can't keep you."

Spike nodded, "Right then. Night pet." He moved toward the window.

"Spike?"

"Wot?"

"Aren't you gonna kiss me g'night? Mommy kisses me g'night."

The vampire rolled his eyes and placed a light peck on the kid's lips, "Have ta listen to ya don' I, bein' yers an all."

The whiskey eyes widened and he shook his head furiously, "You don't really have to!"

Spike laughed and nodded, "know tha' nibblet, wos ju' teasin'."

"Oh."

"Night luv." He slipped out into the night and headed back toward the warehouse. He reached back to untie the necklace and swore when he realised that the thread was thin as all hell and knotted at least ten times over. He thought about breaking it off but the thought of Xander's face when he saw that his pressie was broke made him pause. Finally he just left it where it was.

After killing twenty something demons in the Sunnydale streets, the others learned not to tease the vamp about his new accesory.

Spike walked back into his warehouse and slipped off his clothing, slidding into his own bed. He fell asleep quickly, covered in at least four different kinds of blood and ichor, and lightly touching the dry macaroni noddles around his neck.

~tbc~